Bone Health Foundation

What Bone Health Foundation does

The Bone Health Foundation (ABN 34 010 641 179) is an Australian not-for-profit organisation, established in Adelaide in 1991 and headquartered at 109 Greenhill Road, Unley, South Australia. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operates with a lean paid staff of two — Executive Director & CEO Linda Stanton (appointed July 2025) and Director & Scientific Advisor Dr. Paul Anderson (PhD). The Foundation's stated mission is to raise funds for education and research into bone health and musculoskeletal conditions affecting Australians of all ages.

The Foundation's offerings fall into two categories: education programs and research funding. Education products include "The Skeleton Crew," a 30-minute interactive music-theatre show for children aged 4–8 covering Calcium, Vitamin D and Exercise, plus Primary and Upper Primary school programs aligned with the Australian Curriculum (ACARA) and state Education Department Units of Work. To date, the Foundation reports visiting over 400 South Australian schools and educating over 4,000 children. Research funding is delivered through Seed Grants ($25,000) and Health Innovation Grants ($50,000) co-funded with the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS), and has supported outcomes including the establishment of a Hip Dysplasia Clinic at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide in partnership with CaFHS. Since 1991 the Foundation reports cumulative fundraising in excess of AUD $2.5 million.

The Foundation receives no government funding and operates as a donation-dependent non-profit. Revenue is sourced from corporate sponsors (including BIG W, WRP Legal & Advisory, Barossa Fine Foods, Rockethouse, and Brentnalls-SA) and individual donors, channelled through its website, school programs, community speaking engagements, and social media (Facebook, Twitter). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by direct engagement with schools, healthcare providers, and the Australian research community.

Name

Bone Health Foundation

Legal name

The Bone Health Foundation

Website

https://bonehealth.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Bone Health Foundation is an Australian non-profit that funds bone health research grants (co-funded with ANZBMS) and delivers school-based bone-health education programs (including The Skeleton Crew) to Australian primary schools, healthcare partners, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Health Education & Research

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Bone health education
• Musculoskeletal research funding
• Community health awareness
• Nonprofit health grants
• School health programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Unley

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The Foundation receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations from corporate sponsors and the general public. Donations are tax deductible. The Foundation organizes fundraising events and receives support from corporate sponsors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Bone Health Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that raises money for bone health education and musculoskeletal research in Australia. It delivers in-school programs (Skeleton Crew, Primary and Upper Primary education), funds research grants to early-career researchers in partnership with ANZBMS, and provides online educational resources on Calcium, Vitamin D, Exercise, and fall prevention. All activities are funded by tax-deductible donations and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

The Bone Health Foundation offers a portfolio of educational programs and research funding services focused on improving bone health for Australians of all ages. The core offerings include The Skeleton Crew (an interactive educational program for children aged 4-8), Primary and Upper Primary school programs, and a Research Grant Program providing Health Innovation Grants and Early Career Researcher Grants in partnership with ANZBMS. Supporting resources include the Bone Health Essentials portal covering Calcium, Vitamin D and Exercise, the Bone Health For All lifecycle guides, Fall Prevention programs, and a Research Projects database. The foundation also supports the WCH Hip Dysplasia Clinic at Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Skeleton Crew: A 30-minute music theatre show featuring Sammy Strong Bones and Professor Fitbones aimed at 4-8 year olds teaching about Calcium, Vitamin D and Exercise through songs, movement and interaction.
• Primary Education Program
• Upper Primary Program

Products and services

• The Skeleton Crew

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised over $2.5 million for bone health research since 1991
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• WA Health Translation Network - Consumer and Community Involvement ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership to strengthen consumer and community involvement across bone and mineral research. Consumer involvement is increasingly expected by major funders and journals, and this partnership helps shape research questions, refine study design and improve communication pathways.
• Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Strategic partnership to co-fund research grants nationally. Partnership includes Health Innovation Grants (up to $50,000 each), Early Career Researcher Grants (up to $25,000 each), and Grant-in-Aid program. Since 2022, jointly awarded over $450,000 in research funding. All grants administered by the Bone Health Foundation.
• Women's and Children's Hospital, AdelaidecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Research funding led to discovery of increased late diagnosis of hip dysplasia. Foundation-assisted funding established a dedicated Hip Dysplasia Clinic at the hospital for screening and treatment. Partnership supports ongoing research and clinical improvements.
• CaFHS (Child and Family Health Service)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership to roll out nurse education program for screening babies for hip dysplasia. The Foundation assisted with funding to improve screening methods and increase early detection of developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Telethon Kids Institute: Major Perth-based children's medical research institute conducting musculoskeletal and bone research with community fundraising. Comparable as a regionally-anchored Australian health research nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Cancer Council Australia: A much larger Australian health nonprofit with research grants, public education, and fundraising programs. Competes for the same pool of individual donors and corporate sponsorships at a national scale.
• Diabetes Australia: Large disease-focused Australian nonprofit combining research funding, prevention, and education. Operates a comparable non-government funded, donation-led model targeting similar health-conscious donors.
• Heart Foundation of Australia: Major Australian health charity with research funding, public education, and prevention programs. Broader in scope but operates a similar nonprofit grantmaking-and-education model competing for donors.

Direct peers

• Humpty Dumpty Foundation: Australian children's health charity funding paediatric medical equipment and clinical research grants, including related orthopaedic work. Comparable as a donation-funded health grantmaking nonprofit targeting paediatric bone health adjacent conditions.
• Healthy Bones Australia (formerly Osteoporosis Australia): The leading Australian nonprofit dedicated specifically to osteoporosis and bone health, funding research and delivering public education programs. Direct competitor in the same bone health donor and researcher markets.
• Arthritis Australia: National nonprofit funding musculoskeletal research with similar education, advocacy, and grant-funding programs. Comparable scale, structure, and donor base.
• Musculoskeletal Australia: Australia's peak national body for musculoskeletal conditions, providing education, advocacy, and research funding across the same disease area. Most directly comparable in mission, geography, and scale to the Bone Health Foundation.
• Australian Orthopaedic Association Research Foundation: Specialised Australian nonprofit funding orthopaedic and musculoskeletal research grants to clinicians and researchers. Highly comparable in grantmaking focus and target beneficiary (Australian orthopaedic/musculoskeletal researchers).

Others

• Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS): Core strategic partner and the peak professional society for bone and mineral researchers in Australia/NZ. Not a competing foundation but the gateway through which BHF delivers its research grant programs nationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tweet
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bone-health-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bone Health Foundation